Trips of the Heart
by Rebecca Cage
Summary: When Jonas Quinn is critically injured while on Earth to help Daniel and Teal'c with a translation, SG1 is thrown through the wringer. How are they able to cope with the situation? Will things change when Jack returns to the mix? And what will become of J
1. A Friendly Arrival

Trips of the Heart

Chapter 1: A Friendly Arrival

Things were changing rapidly at Stargate Command, several hundred feet underground inside Cheyenne Mountain. General Jack O'Neill had left Colorado several months before when he had been reassigned to Washington and SG-1 was under the command of yet another new leader. But in retrospect, things seemed to be falling back into a normal pattern rather easily. Whatever a normal pattern was when the fate of the entire planet was at stake on a daily basis.

Colonel Cameron Mitchell, the new leader of SG-1, strolled hurriedly through the halls of the SGC looking for a member of his team. SG-4 had just returned through the Stargate with information on something pertinent to the latest mission his team had been unable to complete and, when it was discovered that the scroll the team had discovered was encoded in an unusual language, Mitchell instinctively knew where to turn for help. This led him to where he now was, standing in the doorway of one of the offices on Level 18.

"Hey, Jackson! You busy right now?" Cameron asked as his target looked up from the computer screen and acknowledged his presence.

"Oh, uh, not really. Just doing a little bit of side research. What's up?" Dr. Daniel Jackson said with a smile, closing the screen on his laptop so he could give the other man his full attention.

"SG-4 brought back some weird scroll from their latest mission last night. Looks like it might contain some clues to where we can find the Ori home galaxy we've been looking for. Landry wants you to take a crack at translating it."

"Sounds like it could possibly be a promising lead. I'll get to work on it immediately." Daniel said.

"Good. I thought you might say that." Cameron smirked as he pulled the scroll out of his jacket and tossed it on the desk. Daniel's response to this was shaking his head and rolling his eyes.

* * *

Two hours later, Daniel was sitting in his lab with Teal'c still trying to translate the scroll that Cameron had given him to work on. In the hours that they had been working, he and Teal'c had barely scratched the surface.

"This is ridiculous, Teal'c. We've been at this for over two hours and we haven't gotten anywhere. This language is unlike anything I have ever seen in the nine years I've been going off world. I don't even have a derivative to use." Daniel said, pulling off his glasses in frustration and pinching the bridge of his nose lightly.

"We are indeed lacking in progress, Daniel Jackson. Perhaps if we had additional assistance. Perhaps someone not of this planet." Teal'c said, nonchalantly making a suggestion.

"You might have something there. In fact, I know you do. You're a genius, Teal'c. Keep at this and see what progress you can make. I'm going to talk to Landry about getting us some help."

* * *

General Hank Landry was sitting at his desk reviewing mission files when a sharp, rapid knocking on his office door caught his attention, causing him to look up from what he was doing with a mild exasperation.

"Come!" Landry called, his exasperation fading when Daniel walked hurriedly into the office.

"General. I'm sorry if I caught you at a bad time." Daniel apologized, slightly embarrassed as he noticed the open files on the desk and realizing he may have been interrupting something.

"It's all right. What can I do for you, Doctor Jackson?"

"Sir, Teal'c and I have been working at translating that scroll for over two hours and we haven't gotten anywhere. Teal'c gave me the idea that we could possibly use some off world help."

"Did you have anyone in mind?"

"Yes, sir. Actually, I'd like to send for Jonas Quinn on Langara. He worked with SG-1 for a year when I was, uh, unavailable. Anyway, I think he might be the missing link we need to cracking the code on that scroll." Daniel said, hoping that Landry would approve his request as he was at almost at his wit's end.

"Jack filled me in on the circumstances behind Jonas Quinn's involvement in the SGC three years ago. I happen to agree with your argument that he may very well be able to help you and Teal'c. Head on down to the control room and I'll have them waiting for you." Landry agreed, picking up his phone to relay his orders as Daniel turned and left the office.

* * *

In the control room, Daniel walked down the stairs from General Landry's office to find Sergeant Walter Harriman bent over his keyboard. The man looked up from the screen to greet Daniel as he approached.

"Good evening, Dr. Jackson."

"Hi. Have you begun dialing the coordinates for Langara?" Daniel asked.

"Yes, sir. The first six chevrons have already locked." Harriman confirmed as the final chevron locked into place and the Stargate exploded to life behind them. "Radio contact established. You're clear to send your message, Dr. Jackson."

"This is Dr. Daniel Jackson from Stargate Command. I need to speak with Jonas Quinn."

"We have a response coming through, audio only. Piping through speakers and amplifying."

"Daniel? You there?" Jonas Quinn's voice came through strong.

"Yeah, Jonas, I'm here. Listen, I know you're the Kelownan ambassador and all but do you think you can spare a few days? We could use your perspective here." Daniel asked.

"Yeah, I'm due to take some personal time anyway. What's up?"

"Well, Teal'c and I have been assigned to decipher a scroll that could be of vital importance. But we've hit a little bit of a snag in the translations and we could really use your help. Do you mind?"

"Oh, no, of course not. Look, give me a little time to inform the First Minister of my plans and throw some things together and then I'll come through and help you out. ETA should be about fifteen minutes." Jonas said, more than a little relieved to be getting away from planetary diplomacy for a while.

"Great. We'll be waiting for your IDC. See you soon." Daniel said as the transmission terminated when the gate was shut down.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Daniel was back in the control room with Teal'c waiting for Jonas to arrive. It wasn't long before they got the confirmation they were looking for.

"Receiving Jonas Quinn's IDC. Opening the iris." Harriman confirmed as he placed his hand on the scanner that signaled the iris to open.

Daniel and Teal'c hurried down into the gate room and were waiting at the bottom of the ramp when Jonas materialized through the Stargate and came toward them.

"Jonas, I'm glad you could come." Daniel said, shaking Jonas' hand.

"I'm glad to be able to help. I hope that I can provide what you need to figure this thing out."

"It is good to see you, Jonas Quinn." Teal'c greeted.

"It's good to see you again, too, Teal'c." Jonas smiled, clapping the large Jaffa on the back as the three headed out of the gate room toward Daniel's office.

* * *

A few minutes later, the trio was in Daniel's lab and preparing to start working on the scroll again. There were a few moments of silence that seemed to hang in the air so Jonas decided to break the quiet.

"Well, there is definitely something very familiar about this place."

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Daniel said, an uncomfortable feeling suddenly settling on him. He had a funny feeling about things, like something wasn't quite right.

Jonas suddenly realized that he may have stuck his foot in his mouth and said the wrong thing so he quickly decided to change the subject. "So, uh, what do you have that you need my help with?"

"Right. Like I said before we've gotten our hands on a scroll that could be of vital importance to our fight against the new enemy in this galaxy since we took down the Goa'uld. These new enemies are called the Ori and they're 100 times more dangerous than the Goa'uld could have ever dreamed of being. We have to find their home galaxy because if we can't then a lot is going to be at stake and this scroll could possibly tell us how to do that."

"Well, I brought some of my texts with some of the oldest dialects common to all three of nations on Langara. Some of these are similar to ones here on Earth but some are completely different. Maybe one of these can be used as a derivative."

"Then it would be advisable for us to resume our endeavors immediately." Teal'c suggested.

* * *

An hour later, it seemed that the translation was not progressing very well, even with Jonas there. Then suddenly they hit on the lead that they were looking for.

"Hey, here's something. It's really vague and in an obscure dialect but it talks about a period in the earliest Kelownan history, before our country was inhabited by people the Goa'uld brought to our planet. Anyway, it talks here about a race of beings that coincided with the Goa'uld on our planet and for the longest time were left alone, but when they challenged the Goa'uld and tried to assert dominance, they were forced to leave Langara to save themselves and fled to the sanctuary of another galaxy. It's referred to here as the Aeroma galaxy and it's not even listed on any astrological charts I've ever seen." Jonas said, confused.

"Does the text elaborate on the identity of this other race of beings?" Teal'c asked.

Jonas paused for a moment and scanned the pages for a moment, then stopped and glanced up at his companions, slightly pale. "It says that the other inhabitants of our world called themselves 'The Keepers of the Ways of Origin'."

"The Ori."

"This is impossible. There's no way this can be."

"Daniel Jackson?"

"Something wrong, Daniel?" Jonas asked, helping his friend to a chair as Daniel's legs nearly collapsed beneath him.

"I can't believe that I didn't see this before. Looking at the book Jonas brought I recognize the derivative of the scroll. According to this, we've had the answer all along. We just need to have Bill Lee and his team go to work on that device with the stones we found a few months back that was sent to Area 51. The answer to getting to the Ori home galaxy lies there." Daniel said as he reached for the phone on his desk and called Dr. Lee's lab. After a hurried conversation, Daniel replaced the handset and stood up.

"What are we to do now?" Teal'c inquired.

"Right now, nothing. According to Bill, Landry's going to have the device shipped back from Area 51 in the morning and his team's going to get to work on it. Sam's in Washington until tomorrow and Cameron's already left the Mountain so there really isn't much of anything that we could have done tonight anyway. So for the evening we can just relax and enjoy having Jonas here."

"That sounds good to me. Hey, are you guys hungry?" Jonas asked after a moment.

"I believe I am in need of some sustenance."

"Yeah, come to think of it I'm pretty hungry too. We could go to the commissary and grab something."

"Actually, I was thinking of something else." Jonas admitted.

"What did you have in mind?" Daniel asked.

"Well, I remember when I was here on Earth three years ago that there was a place not far from here that I always liked that had the best hamburgers and things. I would have a staff car take me there sometimes. I was thinking that if you guys didn't mind, I could maybe get someone to carry me down there and I could grab some burgers and bring them back for us."

"I have a vehicle that you may use if you do not wish to rely on base transportation, Jonas Quinn." Teal'c said.

"I could go down the mountain and get food. I don't mind." Daniel offered.

"No, I'd like to go. I like the scenery around here and the drive is nice. You're sure you don't mind if I take your car, Teal'c." Jonas declined.

"I do not." Teal'c acknowledged with a nod of his head as he handed the key to his SUV to Jonas.

"All right. If you're sure. Just be careful because I heard from someone in the control room that it's raining outside." Daniel cautioned as Jonas gave him the okay sign and headed for the elevators to the surface. A few minutes later, Jonas located Teal'c's vehicle in the parking lot and ran through the rain to it. After starting the engine, he traveled down the mountain to the restaurant he remembered.


	2. A Freak Accident

Chapter 2: A Freak Accident

Jonas was standing in the restaurant he had mentioned, waiting for the food he had ordered to be prepared for them. He was thinking how nice it was to be with old friends and he was glad to have been able to help them solve the scroll that they had. Just then the restaurant cashier speaking to him brought him out of his thoughts.

"Here's your order, sir. Be careful driving in this weather." The young cashier smiled, holding to bags out to Jonas.

"Thanks a lot. Have a good night." Jonas smiled as he took the food and headed out of the restaurant to the car that Teal'c let him borrow. He became a little nervous as he noticed that the rain had picked up.

As Jonas carefully navigated the winding roads that led back to Cheyenne Mountain, it seemed like the weather just continued getting worse. Jonas glanced through the driving rain and noticed a familiar landmark and realized that he was nearing his destination. Just then a car came around the corner in the opposite lane going entirely too fast to make the curve safely. It was in that moment that disaster struck. The other vehicle lost control and skidded into the SUV that Jonas was driving before he even had a chance to begin to react. He tried to regain control but the car continued to skid. The last conscious thought that Jonas had was hoping that someone would be able to summon help to get everyone involved out of this as the car careened into the rock wall at the right edge of the road, hurling him into blackness.

At that same moment, a military issue vehicle came up on the accident from the direction that Jonas had come from. The airman climbed from his car and assessed the accident. A young man who had been driving the first vehicle was in a state of shock about what had just occurred and had a few scrapes and bruises but was otherwise unharmed. When he approached the other vehicle however, adrenaline kicked in double time. The driver of this vehicle was unconscious and obviously in very rough shape. From the position of the vehicle, it had spun 90 and struck the rock wall on the driver's side. It was in this moment that he recognized Jonas and his heart leapt into his throat. He reached into the breast pocket of his uniform for his cell phone and dialed a number quickly.

"Hello, Cheyenne. I need someone to send a medical team out immediately. I'm on the scene of a MVA about 15 minutes out from the complex. I'd also recommend having Dr. Lam at the ready. The one driver is okay, just bruised and shaken up, but the other is in need of some serious medical attention. If things couldn't get any worse, the injured driver is Jonas Quinn. Used to be with SG-1 a few years back during Dr. Jackson's absence. Thanks. Let General Landry know that I'll brief him on what I know when I get there."

* * *

At the same time, Daniel and Teal'c were beginning to wonder what was taking Jonas so long to get back. He should have been back a while ago and the two were beginning to get concerned.

"I wonder what in the world is going on. Jonas should have been back by now." Daniel wondered aloud, more to himself than Teal'c.

"Perhaps Jonas Quinn is delayed by the inclement weather outside. It was said that it is raining rather hard."

"Yeah, maybe. I just can't help but get the feeling that something isn't right here."

* * *

It took a little over 15 minutes for the SGC medical team to arrive on the scene of the accident. When they arrived the ambulance was met by the young airman who had called for them. The head of the medical team headed over to the airman as the other medics began tending to the victims.

"What can you tell me about what happened here?"

"I don't exactly know how this happened because both vehicles were in the current positions when I came up on the accident. I was on my way in for my shift and I came around he bend back there to find this. I immediately assessed the drivers before I reported in to request a medical team."

"Thanks. We'll do whatever we can here and then move back to the mountain. Dr. Lam is waiting in the infirmary for us. When you called in you said that the injured driver used to be one of our own?"

"Yeah. Used to be with SG-1 about two years ago. Replaced Dr. Jackson when he was gone for that year."

"Jonas Quinn. I remember him. What in the world is he doing on Earth though. I thought he went back to his planet after his last visit here."

"I'm not really sure. Can you help him?"

"I certainly hope so. After we get him out of that car, we'll get him back to the infirmary so Dr. Lam can get a better idea of how badly he's injured." The lead medic said as another medic approached him. "What have we got?"

"Sir, the first driver who caused the accident is unharmed. Concerned and shaken up with a few bruises but otherwise okay. We've called for a cab to take him home and told him someone would be in touch with him if we needed any further information. The second man appears critical. There's a great deal of blood coming from his head which concerns me that he may have some head trauma. From the way the car is sitting and the angle that it appears to have hit, there's no way of telling what other injuries he may have until we get him to the infirmary."

"This could be bad. Okay. Be very careful when you pull him out and try not to move his head at all in case there are any neck injuries. I'll radio ahead and let Cheyenne Mountain know that we're ETA of about 10 minutes. Time is of the utmost importance here so they're going to have to be ready for us."

* * *

General Landry had received word of the accident and now had the difficult task of informing Daniel and Teal'c of what had happened. He had already called Sam and left a message on her voice mail for her to report in as soon as she arrived back in Colorado. Now he was standing in the hallway outside Daniel's office. Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, he set his shoulders and walked inside.

"What can we do for you, sir?" Daniel asked as he looked up and saw Landry standing in front of them. Teal'c rose and nodded his head at the General.

"I need to talk to both of you. I'm afraid something has happened."

"Please elaborate, General Landry." Teal'c stated, exchanging a look with Daniel as he spoke.

"About 20 minutes ago, we got an urgent call from one of our airmen on the way in for his shift. He had come across an accident on his way up the mountain. There were two vehicles involved and there were serious injuries. A medical team in on the scene and just radioed in and gave their ETA as about 10 minutes."

"Wait a minute. If the airman came on an accident why didn't he call the academy hospital, why'd he call here?" Daniel asked, beginning to become very afraid of where this conversation was going.

"He called us because the driver that was injured came from this facility."

"What is it that you are attempting to tell us?"

"I really hate to have to tell you both this, but the driver who was injured in the accident is Jonas Quinn. Our medical team is on their way back to the complex as we speak. At this point, I really don't know how badly he's injured." Landry said solemnly.

Upon receiving this information, Daniel felt his head spinning and his legs threatened to give out under him. He stumbled backward a few steps and collapsed into a chair, putting his head in his hands in shock. Teal'c crossed his right arm over his chest and stood rigid, his dark eyes wide with shock.

"Does anyone else know?" Daniel managed to ask as soon as he was able to find his voice.

"I called Colonel Carter and left a message on her voice mail letting her know that she needs to report in immediately as soon as she returns to Colorado. I'm going to go and place a call to Colonel Mitchell right now. I'll get the infirmary to send someone to inform you when the ambulance gets back here." Landry informed them, turning to go back to his office, leaving Daniel and Teal'c with their own haunting thoughts.


	3. Further Notification

Chapter 3: Further Notification

After coming from informing Daniel and Teal'c of the accident that had injured one of their friends, General Landry sat at his desk preparing to notify the other two members of SG-1. It wasn't going to be pleasant but he knew what he had to do first. He keyed the buzzer on his desk and waited patiently for Walter Harriman to enter the office.

"Walter, I need to make some important phone calls. Will you please make sure that unless there is an emergency I am not disturbed for at least the next thirty minutes by anyone other than Dr. Lam or a member of her medical team."

"Yes, sir." Harriman confirmed, saluting smartly and leaving the office to return to his desk.

That done, Landry looked through the list of phone numbers on his desk and scanned it quickly to find the number that he was looking for. He took a deep breath, picked up the receiver on the desk, and dialed. After ringing four times, the voice mail of the intended recipient picked up.

"Damn. This is not something I like to leave on someone's voice mail." Landry said under his breath as he waited for the beep to leave his message. "Colonel Carter, this is General Landry. There's been an incident here at the SGC and I need you to report in to me as soon as you return to Colorado. I apologize for the suddenness because I know you were planning to take a day but this is very urgent. I can't give you details so I'll have to fill you in when I see you."

After marking the message urgent, he hung up the receiver and prepared to call the fourth member of his flagship team. Although he knew that Cameron Mitchell didn't know Jonas Quinn apart from the same reports that he himself had read, there was no doubt in Landry's mind that the other man would want to be made aware of the situation so he could be there for his friends. So disregarding the late hour, he picked up the phone and dialed Mitchell's residence.

* * *

Colonel Cameron Mitchell was awakened by the sound of his telephone ringing. At first, he was tempted to ignore the tones but finally realizing that it may be important, he rolled over and grabbed the phone with a mild frustration.

"Yeah."

"Colonel Mitchell?"

"General?"

"Yes. Listen, I'm sorry to disturb you at this time of night, Colonel but I'm afraid your presence may be needed here." Landry explained.

"Okay. I'd like to know what's going on first." Mitchell grunted, still slightly annoyed.

"What has happened doesn't affect you specifically but it is going to be a rough situation for the rest of SG-1 so I thought you might like to know. As you are aware, Dr. Jackson and Teal'c sent for Jonas Quinn to assist them in the deciphering of the Ori scroll that was brought back."

"Yeah. From what I heard as I was leaving the mountain, they'd figured out the thing, so I don't see what the problem is, sir."

"Well, about an hour ago a call came in from one of our SFs who had come across the scene of a serious automobile accident on his way up the mountain. The reason he called the SGC instead of Academy Hospital was that Jonas Quinn was injured in that accident."

"What? How are Jackson and Teal'c handling this thing? What about Sam?" Mitchell asked, getting up and looking for his clothes as he was talking.

"Teal'c is dealing with it the way he always seems to, strong and quiet. I'm worried about Dr. Jackson, though. When I told them what had happened he nearly collapsed and more than likely would have had there not been a chair behind him. Colonel Carter isn't aware of the specifics yet. I left her a message on her voice mail telling her to report in as soon as she gets back to Colorado." Landry admitted solemnly.

"Okay. I'm on my way. I'll be there in about an hour. Let me know if anything else comes up."

"I'll do that. Colonel, be careful."

* * *

Colonel Samantha Carter was sitting in the airport in Dallas on a layover on her way back to Colorado from Washington and had just sat down with a cup of coffee. She decided to check her voicemail for any messages while she was waiting. Her phone was flashing to indicate that she had 1 message. When Sam checked her message and heard the tone in Landry's voice, she had a distinct sense of uneasiness. She immediately dialed the number to the SGC and tried to get to the bottom of what was going on.

"Cheyenne Mountain Complex."

"This is Colonel Carter, I need to speak to General Landry."

"General Landry's office." Harriman answered the summons.

"Sergeant, this is Colonel Carter. I'm in Dallas on my way back from Washington and I just checked my messages and got an urgent message from General Landry. Can you please tell me something about what is going on?" Sam asked, her stomach twisting.

"I'm not really sure of any details, Colonel. The only thing I know is that General Landry just stepped out and told me that if you called in to ask you to report to base immediately. He asked me to tell you that if you'd like, we can arrange for a staff car to pick you up from the airport."

"I think I'm going to need that because Teal'c drove me to the airport. I just wish I knew a little more about what's happening."

"I'm sorry I can't be of any more help, Colonel." Harriman apologized.

"It's okay, Sergeant. It's not your fault. I should be back in Colorado about 1a.m."

"We'll have a staff car waiting for you."

Sam hung up her phone then and boarded her plane to Colorado, not having any more information than she had before. The only thing she did gain was an increased feeling that something was terribly wrong and that there was something that she wasn't being told.


	4. Guilt and Support

Chapter 4: Guilt and Support

As soon as they had been informed of what had happened, Daniel and Teal'c had rushed to the infirmary to be nearby and see what they could find out about Jonas' condition. Now Jonas was in surgery and they were waiting outside the infirmary for someone to let them know something about what was going on.

"I can't take much more of this, Teal'c. Why haven't we had any sort of information about what the hell is going on here? It's like we're invisible or something." Daniel raged, more for himself than for Teal'c.

"I do not believe we are being ignored. I believe that the current situation we find ourselves in may indeed be more serious than what we have been told." Teal'c said calmly.

"If he'd have just stayed here, this never would be happening. I was the one who supported his idea to go and get us some food. I had heard the weather was bad, I knew it was raining. I should have never told him to go out there. I should have known better. What happened to Jonas is my fault."

"It is not. The weather is to blame for this accident. You have no need to blame yourself."

"I don't understand how you can possibly say that. I knew the weather was bad. I should have told Jonas not to go out in weather like that. If I'd done that, then none of this would be happening." Daniel said, finding it very hard to speak around the knots forming in his throat and stomach.

Teal'c was completely at a loss as to what he could say to convince Daniel that he wasn't to blame for Jonas' accident. Finally, he decided not to say anything, opting instead to give his friend some silent support and render help with merely his presence.

* * *

At the same time, Cameron Mitchell raced through the gate of Cheyenne Mountain and made a beeline for Landry's office as soon as the elevator doors opened. He needed to know where his team was and he wanted to find out what exactly had happened. He found the General sitting behind his desk, working at his computer.

"Colonel Mitchell. What can I do for you?" Landry asked, looking up from his work when he heard the knocking on his office door.

"I need to know where the rest of my team are. Also I'd really like to know just exactly what the hell is going on here. The information you gave me earlier didn't exactly tell me a whole lot." Mitchell said.

"What I told you earlier is really all that I know. One of our SFs called in to the base around 2300 hours telling us that he had come across a serious accident about 15 minutes out from the complex. He told us that we needed to dispatch a medical team and have Dr. Lam at the ready and when he was questioned as to why he called the base, he told the switch operator that the injured driver was formerly one of our own."

"Was there anyone else involved?"

"Yes, there was another vehicle involved. He was shaken up and bruised but otherwise unhurt. Apparently made a wrong turn in the bad weather and when he turned around to get back on track, the accident occurred. He was checked out and cleared by our medical staff and sent home with our staff driver. We told the man to look for us to be in touch if we needed anything further from him." Landry explained.

"Well, that's just a punch in the gut, isn't it. The rest of my team?"

"Dr. Jackson and Teal'c are down in the infirmary waiting for an update on the situation. As I said before, I left a message on Colonel Carter's voice mail and she called in and talked to Sergeant Harriman earlier but she hasn't made it in as of yet. She doesn't know what happened yet or how bad the situation is. I didn't think it would be a good idea to tell her over the phone."

"If you don't mind the bluntness of my asking, sir, exactly how bad is the situation we're dealing with?"

"From the limited information Dr. Lam was able to give me earlier, Jonas was very seriously injured. He has severe internal trauma and Dr. Lam and Dr. Warner have him in surgery right now trying to do what they can to repair as much of the damage as possible. He's critical, Colonel." Landry explained.

"I'm worried about how Sam is going to react to this when she finds out. How are Jackson and Teal'c handling this? From what I can gather about when this guy was on SG-1, he made quite an impact on the program and formed strong bonds with the rest of my team."

"Dr. Jackson and Teal'c are taking this very hard. My personal opinion is that they may be dealing with a great deal of guilt over this situation."

"Guilt? What in the world for?"

"Well, from what they've told me, they had just completed translating the scroll and Jonas volunteered to go and bring some food back for the three of them. So he took a car and went down the mountain and he was on his way back when all of this happened."

"I still don't understand. Neither one of them has a thing to feel guilty about as far as what I gather from what you told me."

"I know that, Colonel. The hard part is convincing them of that. The problem is that the weather was bad and Dr. Jackson feels like it's his fault for not stopping Jonas from going down the mountain in the first place. I didn't tell you this over the phone but he was driving Teal'c's car so I think this is affecting Teal'c a lot more than he's letting on."

"This is really heavy. If you'll excuse me, sir, I'm going to go up to the infirmary and see what I can do if anything at all. When Sam gets here send for me if you need some help."

"I'll do that, Colonel. Right now, you need to be with the rest of your team."

"Yes, sir." Mitchell said, saluting smartly as he pivoted on his heel and walked out of the office.

* * *

Back in the infirmary, Daniel was pacing back and forth across the room they were waiting in, trying to calm his jangled nerves. Teal'c watched his friend moving from one wall to the other and back, growing more concerned with each step the archaeologist took. Finally, the Jaffa decided he needed to say something so he rose from his chair and stood in Daniel's path, not moving when the other man plowed hard into him.

"Ooof. Teal'c what the hell are you doing?" Daniel asked, mildly irritated.

"There is something I wish to speak to you about and you would not hear me if you did not cease movement."

"Okay. What is it that you wanted to talk about? "

"I wish to tell you that I am extremely concerned for you. You do not appear to be coping with this tragedy very well. Do you believe that you must make amends for Jonas Quinn's injury by causing yourself to become physically exhausted? I am not taking this action and I must accept more responsibility than even yourself." Teal'c confessed, casting his dark eyes to the floor for a moment.

"Well, I guess I handle things a little bit differently than…" Daniel began, stopping as he was hit by the implication of what Teal'c had just said. "Wait a minute. More responsibility than me? What are you talking about? This isn't your fault. I'm the one to blame here."

"What you speak is not the truth, Daniel Jackson. Jonas Quinn was driving my vehicle. He had suggested taking a staff car down the mountain to retrieve food. Had I not proffered the use of my vehicle, the accident would not have occurred."

"Actually, you're both dead wrong." Cameron said from where he had appeared in the doorway.

Upon hearing a familiar voice, Daniel and Teal'c broke from their conversation and turned to face the source of the voice. For a long moment, there was an awkward silence between the three men. It was Daniel's stress lined voice that finally broke the silence.

"Cameron, what are you doing here? What do you mean that Teal'c and I are both wrong. How the hell long were you standing there anyway?"

"One question at a time. First of all, I was at the door long enough to hear most of your conversation with Teal'c. I came back to the SGC because General Landry called me at home to let me know what was going on and even though I don't know Jonas Quinn personally, he made a huge impact on you guys and I felt I needed to be here for my friends. Secondly, you guys are wrong about being responsible for what's happened here. Neither of you are. The only thing to blame is the weather and last I checked we can't control the weather." Mitchell insisted.

"Oh my God. I can't believe I didn't think about this before now. Sam's in Washington. She really needs to know what's going on. I can't believe I was so self absorbed that I didn't think about her." Daniel shouted.

"Calm down, Jackson. Sam's been informed that something's going on and she called in so she knows to report in as soon as she lands. From what I understand, she en route back from Washington as we speak. She should be here any time now."

"Oh, no. Sam's going to be completely dumbstruck by this. You know I wasn't around during the time Jonas was here." Daniel began.

"Yeah, I, uh, read the file."

"Well, from what I understand from Teal'c, Sam and Jonas got to be good friends during that time. I even saw it for myself when we helped protect Langara, Jonas' home world, from destruction two years ago. This is no doubt going to hit her very hard as well."

"I drew the same conclusion. When she gets here I'm gonna head upstairs and help Landry break the news to her. You guys should stay here in case Dr. Lam has any news."

A few minutes later, the telephone on the wall near them began ringing. Cameron walked over to it and picked it up, thinking that it may be that Sam had arrived.

"Mitchell. Yeah. On my way."

"What was the purpose of the call, Colonel Mitchell?" Teal'c asked.

"That was Landry. The staff driver just reported in and he's back with Sam. She's on her way down from the surface now. I'm gonna go down to the General's office to meet her." Cameron said, heading out the door. As he headed to the elevator and headed down to Landry's office, Mitchell had a huge knot in his stomach that refused to unravel itself.

* * *

When the staff car left Sam at the surface and the driver got out to take her luggage inside, she was overcome with a feeling that something bad was wrong that she couldn't shake no matter how hard she tried. As she stepped into the elevator and pressed the button to take her down to level 28, Sam tried to calm her nerves and steady her trembling hands.

"Get a grip, Sam. You don't know what General Landry wants to talk to you about. There may not be anything wrong." Sam scolded herself as the elevator stopped at level 28 and the doors slid open for her.

Sam walked into Landry's office and was met outside by Walter Harriman, sitting at his desk going through some papers. He looked up from what he was doing when he heard her approach. She looked at him nervously and couldn't get up the nerve to speak.

"Welcome back, Colonel. General Landry is waiting for you in his office. He wants to see you immediately."

"Thank you, Sergeant." Sam managed to say as she walked past him and into the office.

When Sam walked into Landry's office and saw Cameron Mitchell sitting there with the General, her heart immediately leapt into her throat. She knew Cam very well and the fact that he was here on base in General Landry's office, meant that something had to be very seriously wrong.

"Come in and sit down, Colonel Carter." Landry said, an obvious tension in his voice.

"Yes, sir." Sam began as she approached the desk on unsteady legs and took a seat next to Mitchell. "Will someone please tell me what's wrong."

"Colonel, I hate to have to call you in at this time of morning after a pleasant trip to Washington and tell you what I have to say but I'm afraid something serious has happened. There was an accident last night that critically injured a former team member of yours."

"What do you mean? Who was hurt?"

"A former member of SG-1, Jonas Quinn. He was involved in an automobile accident during the inclement weather we had earlier. He's in surgery with Dr. Lam and Dr. Warner right now and as of yet we haven't heard anything else."

"Wait. That can't be right. Jonas is on Langara. What the hell was he doing here?" Sam demanded, tears springing to her eyes, as Cameron put an arm around her shoulders.

"I suppose I should start from the beginning, Colonel Carter. Dr. Jackson and Teal'c were hung up on a scroll that was brought back by another SG unit earlier today and Dr. Jackson came to my office asking for permission to send for Jonas Quinn. I approved it and they were able to decipher the scroll, after which point Jonas offered to go down the mountain and get some food for the three of them, taking Teal'c's SUV. On his way back up the mountain, he was involved in the accident. One of our SFs on his way here for his shift, ran across the accident on his way to the base and called here for help after realizing that one of the drivers used to be a member of SG-1." Landry said solemnly as Sam shook her head and began crying.

"I can't believe this is happening. Jonas has to be okay. He doesn't deserve to have this type of thing to happen to him." Sam cried. "Wait a minute. Where are Daniel and Teal'c? I need to be with them."

"They're both down in the infirmary waiting for an update, Sam. Come on, I'll walk down with you." Cam whispered, giving her a hug. "I'll catch up with you later, General."

"That's okay, Colonel. I have another phone call I need to make anyway." Landry said as Cam lead Sam out of the office and into the corridor.

As soon as the two were safely out of earshot, Landry picked up his desk phone and dialed a number. He was well aware that the recipient would be agitated with him for calling at 4:00 in the morning but he also knew that this person needed to know what was going on.  
"He'd be even more irritated at me if I didn't call. Knowing him like I do, he'll probably want to be here." Landry thought to himself as he waited for the call to connect.


	5. I'll Be There For You

Chapter 5: I'll Be There For You

At his home in Washington, General Jack O'Neill was awakened by the mildly irritating sound of his telephone ringing. He was extremely aggravated that someone was waking him up at 4:00 in the morning. Rolling to the side of the bed, he snatched up the phone and turned it on.

"What?" Jack growled angrily.

"Jack. Sorry to wake you up at this hour but this is important." Hank Landry said quickly.

"Sorry, Hank. You said important? What's up?"

"I thought you might want to know of a situation that has arisen here. I called you so that you can come here and be with your team if you want."

"Hank, cut the crap. You woke me up and now your dodging. Stop beating around the bush and tell… me… what's… wrong."

"Jack, I don't know how to say this so I'll say it straight out. There was an automobile accident last night that was called in by one of the airmen here. We got the call because the victim is an off world guest who you know very well." Hank began.

"Wait a minute. Accident? Off world guest I know well? What are telling me here, Hank." Jack interrupted, an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach as he began getting dressed. He didn't like where this conversation seemed to be going.

"Like I said, there was an accident. The driver of one of the cars was critically injured and is in our infirmary now. I said you know this person very well because he used to be a member of your team. Jonas Quinn." Hank informed his friend as he heard a loud bang. "Hello? Hello? Jack, are you there?"

"Yeah. Sorry, Hank. I dropped the phone. It's just hard for me to stomach this information. How is my team handling this?"

"They're taking it hard. Sam just got back in from Washington and we had to break the news to her. Colonel Mitchell is here and is doing what he can to help out."

"For crying out loud. Hank, hang tight there. I've called my pilot on the cell phone and my plane is waiting on the runway for me. I'll be there in three hours."

"See you soon, Jack."

* * *

At the same time, Sam had just entered the infirmary with Cam and saw Teal'c sitting in a chair along the side wall and Daniel pacing back and forth across the room nervously. Upon seeing the two enter the room, Teal'c slowly got to his feet and Daniel stopped in his tracks and crossed the room to her, folding her in his arms.

"I'm so sorry, Sam. If it hadn't been for my ignoring the weather, none of this would be happening. I'm sorry you had to come back from Washington to this." Daniel whispered into Sam's hair.

"Daniel, this is not your fault." Sam began, pulling back to look Daniel in the eyes. "It's nobody's fault. What happened was an accident. It could have happened to anyone."

"Colonel Carter is correct, Daniel Jackson. You should listen to her words." Teal'c said solemnly from where he stood in the corner.

"See there. At least Teal'c has listened to reason. The most important thing that we can do right now is stay right here and give this guy some support." Cam said, coming to sit beside Teal'c. A few moments later, Dr. Lam walked into the room and approached them.

"Dr. Lam. What's our situation?" Sam asked nervously.

"It's going to be a waiting game. Dr. Warner and I managed to repair as much of the damage as we could and we stopped the internal bleeding. We had to transfuse him since he lost so much blood before he got to us. There's no way of knowing how long he had been trapped in that car before our people came across the accident. Jonas is in a coma right now but I'm more concerned about the possible shock to his vital organs because of the blood loss. Dr. Warner and I have done all we can for the time being. Right now, it's up to him."

"Can we see him?" Daniel asked.

"Of course. Having familiar presence around him might be helpful. But I can only allow one of you to sit with him at a time for right now." Lam agreed.

"Go ahead, Daniel. Teal'c and I can go after you." Sam said, gripping Daniel's arm for a moment as Teal'c nodded his agreement.

"Okay, if everyone agrees, Daniel you can come with me."

"Okay." Daniel said uncertainly as he followed the doctor out of the room.

* * *

When Daniel got to Jonas' room, his heart leapt into his throat and his stomach decided at that point, unfortunately, to tie itself in a knot. He couldn't shake the feeling that if he had paid more attention to the weather conditions that none of this would be happening. He was so consumed with his own thoughts of guilt that he didn't notice Dr. Lam was speaking to him until he felt her hand on his arm.

"Huh? I'm sorry, I wasn't listening. Did you say something?" Daniel asked, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Yes, I said that you should talk to Jonas to keep him anchored to the here and now as much as you can. Let him know everyone is here for him, tell him not to give up. That's the best thing anyone can do for him right now." Lam began and paused a moment when she noticed the young archaeologist's weary face and the tired eyes that looked back at her from behind the man's round glasses. "Daniel, are you okay? You look like you just fought a battle with someone twice your size and just barely got the upper hand."

"I don't know how I feel right now to be honest with you. Sam, Teal'c and Cameron tell me that this was just an accident and I really want to believe that but why do I feel like I'm responsible?"

"I can't answer that question, Daniel. But I can go to the commissary and bring you a cup of coffee. Would that be okay?" Dr. Lam asked, a thought popping into her mind.

"Yeah. I'd appreciate that. Thanks." Daniel smiled weakly as the doctor turned and walked out of the room.

As soon as he was alone in the room with his friend, Daniel walked slowly over to the bed, pulled the chair close, and placed his hand on Jonas' arm. It hit him like a blow to the stomach to see how pale he looked as a result of the blood loss. Remembering that Lam had said it might help to talk to Jonas, Daniel cleared his throat to make sure he could trust his voice and said the only thing that he could think of.

"Jonas, I am so sorry. I never should have let you venture out in a rainstorm. This is so not right. You should be resting in one of the guest quarters, not lying here in the infirmary in a coma. When you get through this, I'll do whatever you want to make this up to you. We're all here for you, Jonas. Teal'c and I are here, Sam just got back from Washington and came here as soon as her plane landed. Cameron's here too. I know you guys don't know each other but he wanted to lend you his support as well. Please hang in there, Jonas." Daniel whispered.

* * *

As Dr. Lam headed down the hall she was thinking about how tired and conflicted Daniel had just seemed. Before she went up to the commissary to get him the cup of coffee she had promised, she made a quick stop by the medication room. Once inside she closed the door and began looking for something to help the current issue. After a moment of looking she found what she needed, placed it into the crusher and put the whole little packet into the pocket of her lab coat.

When she got to the commissary and got a cup of coffee for Daniel, she stepped out into the hallway, emptied the packet into the cup and stirred it with the stirring stick. Then she took the elevator back down to the infirmary to the room where Daniel was sitting with Jonas. She knocked gently and entered the room.

"Hey, Daniel. Here's that coffee I promised. Hopefully after you drink this you'll feel a little better."

"Thanks. I really appreciate it." Daniel smiled, taking the coffee and sipping at it slowly. He turned his attention back to the vigil he was keeping as Dr. Lam turned and left the room quietly, hoping she had done the right thing.

Daniel finished his coffee rather quickly and set the cup on the table. He continued to sit at Jonas' side, occasionally talking to him about things that interested both of them, but mostly trying to give the young man strength by his presence. After about twenty minutes, Daniel was acknowledging how tired he was and he began to feel slightly drowsy. His eyes were starting to close and he felt his head nodding. He blinked rapidly and shook his head to wake himself up.

"This doesn't make sense. I just had a cup of coffee and here I am trying to nod off. I guess I'm more exhausted than I thought. I have been up all night though. I need to keep myself awake here." Daniel thought.

The more time that went by, the more drowsy Daniel became and it was getting harder for him to keep his eyes open. He was fighting the drowsiness that was strongly closing in on him and it was a battle that he was rapidly losing. No matter how hard Daniel tried, his eyes kept drifting closed and each time it was even more difficult to force them open again. He knew he needed to keep himself alert for Jonas' sake but it seemed the harder he fought to that end, the more his body was begging him to surrender to the alluring tug of sleep that was trying just as hard to pull him under.

Finally, Daniel was so sleepy that he didn't have the strength to fight against it anymore. This time, when his eyes slid closed and he felt his head nodding, he didn't resist. In fact, as sleep claimed him completely, he welcomed it's embrace and his head fell gently to one side, a wave of comforting darkness flowing over him and washing away his guilt for a while.

A few minutes later, Dr. Lam walked in to check on Jonas' condition and noticed Daniel sound asleep in the small plastic chair beside the bed. She smiled a little and then decided that someone should move Daniel into a bed because he would likely sleep for quite a while and he would be more comfortable lying down than sitting up in that chair. After checking the monitors and determining that Jonas's condition was stable for the moment, she left the room quietly and went in search of some assistance.

* * *

Sam, Teal'c, and Cameron were sitting in the small room where they were waiting when Dr. Lam walked in. They immediately turned their attention to her.

"Teal'c, would you come with me for a moment please. I need someone with a great deal of strength and I could really use your help."

"Of course, Dr. Lam." Teal'c said respectfully, nodding to her as he followed her out of the room leaving Sam and Cameron looking at each other trying to figure out what was up.

"Thanks for coming to help me, Teal'c." Lam said quietly.

"With what do you require my assistance?"

"Well, I need your help to move Daniel to a bed in the room across the hall from the one Jonas is in. I obviously can't do it myself and knowing that you are by far the strongest person on this base I came in search of your help."

"Has Daniel Jackson become ill?" Teal'c asked, concern in his voice.

"Oh, no. He's not sick. He's just sleeping. I offered to get him a cup of coffee from the commissary and, when I did that, I slipped something in there to relax him that put him to sleep. Anyway, he fell asleep in the plastic chair next to Jonas' bed and I don't want to leave him there as that's not exactly a comfortable place to sleep so I've set up the room across the hall for him to rest. Can you help me get him over there?" Lam said quickly, reassuring the large Jaffa.

"Indeed. I will transport Daniel Jackson. Please stand aside." Teal'c said, gently lifting his unconscious companion into his arms and carrying him across the hall to the room Dr. Lam had set up for the archaeologist to sleep. He then laid Daniel carefully on the bed, taking off the young man's glasses and making sure he was comfortable. Teal'c then turned to speak to Lam.

"I will return to the waiting room and inform Colonel Carter and Colonel Mitchell of what has transpired. We will remain with Jonas Quinn and Daniel Jackson as long as our presence is required."

"From what I've seen of SG-1 in the short time I've been here, I wouldn't expect anything less, Teal'c." Lam smiled as she walked out of the room, followed closely by the Jaffa warrior.

* * *

Sam and Cameron were still in the waiting room trying to figure out what was going on when Teal'c appeared in the doorway. The Jaffa walked over and approached his friends.

"What did Lam want with you, Teal'c?" Cameron asked, a confused look on his face.

"Dr. Lam merely required my assistance in transporting Daniel Jackson from his current location. He had fallen asleep and was unable to do so for himself. He is now resting in a room across the hall from Jonas Quinn's room." Teal'c answered stoically.

"I guess he must really have exhausted himself. He was pacing the room for two hours nonstop." Sam said.

"Oh, well. I guess it's not that important. What is important is that he's resting." Cameron remarked.

"I think someone needs to sit with Daniel as well. We can take turns sitting with Daniel and Jonas."

"Indeed. If you are not in objection, Colonel Carter, I would like to take first opportunity to maintain watch at Jonas Quinn's bedside." Teal'c requested.

"Okay. I'll go sit with Daniel. What about you, Cam?" Sam asked their friend.

"I think I'll stay here for now and wait for any updates from Dr. Lam or Dr. Warner. That way I can keep General Landry up to date on what's going on."

"Okay. See you later. Thank you for coming back. I know you don't know Jonas but it means a lot to us that you're here."

* * *

Teal'c walked into Jonas' room and took up a post at his friend's bedside. It disturbed Teal'c to see his friend and former teammate in such critical condition. The young alien was hooked to a respirator and his chest rose and fell at mechanical intervals as the machine moved oxygen through his lungs. Teal'c took a moment to listen to the monitors beeping to the rhythm of Jonas' steady heartbeat. The Jaffa found this sound strangely comforting, an odd signal that his friend was in his damaged body somewhere, in need of his friends to help bring him back.

"As I told you when you departed following your year with SG-1 to return to your planet, Jonas Quinn, you truly have the heart of a warrior. Your strength of spirit rivals that of even the strongest Jaffa I have ever encountered. You must maintain your strength and allow your body to heal. There are several people who still require your wisdom, Jonas Quinn. If I were able, I would give you extra strength to aid you." Teal'c said quietly, one arm crossed over his chest in a gesture of respect and the other hand on his friend's arm. He then began his silent vigil, determined to support his injured friend by remaining close at hand as long as he was needed.

* * *

Sam walked quietly into the room where Daniel was sleeping and approached the bed, taking a seat in the chair she found nearby. She took her friend's lax fingers in her own, holding his hand firmly, and ran her other hand through his short hair.

"Why do you have to be so hard on yourself, Daniel? You blame yourself for a lot of things that go wrong around you and it's slowly destroying you. Not everything is someone's fault, Daniel, and it's not your responsibility to shoulder the burden of those that can have blame assigned to them. You are not responsible for what happened to Jonas. Cam was right, you can't control the weather. You really shouldn't blame yourself for this. I know Jonas doesn't blame you. Even though he can't tell us that himself, knowing him as I do, it's something that I can be sure of. I'm going to be here for the both of you." Sam whispered, placing a gentle kiss on Daniel's forehead.

* * *

In the meanwhile, Jack's plane had landed at the local Air Force base and a car sent from the SGC had been waiting for him on the tarmac as soon as he stepped off the plane. Now he was in the elevator, waiting impatiently to reach Landry's office on level 28. When the doors finally opened, Jack made a beeline for his former office. Once there he found Walter Harriman waiting outside for him.

"General O'Neill. Welcome back, sir." Harriman said, saluting out of habit.

"At ease, Walter." Jack said, not really in the mood for formality now.

"Yes, sir. General Landry's waiting for you in his office, sir. He'll bring you up to date on what we know so far."

"Thanks, Walter." Jack said, clapping the other man on the shoulder as he headed into the office.

"Hank. What else have you got?"

"Jack, come in and sit down. I just spoke with Dr. Lam approximately half an hour ago. You're not gonna like this."

"What am I not gonna like? Jonas isn't….."

"No, no. He's alive. He is in a coma though and Dr. Lam and Dr. Warner had to transfuse him because he had a great deal of internal bleeding as well as external injuries. She told me that they've done all they can for Jonas right now. It's up to him at this point." Landry said quickly, noticing that Jack was unable to even complete the thought he inquired about.

"As long as he's alive, there's still a chance and that's a good thing. What about the rest of my team?"

"According to Colonel Mitchell, Teal'c is sitting with Jonas at the moment keeping vigil and Colonel Carter is sitting with Dr. Jackson."

"What? Is something wrong with Daniel, too?" Jack asked quickly, the thought of two of his close friends coming to harm bringing a sick feeling to the pit of his stomach.

"There's nothing wrong with him. From what I understand he's just sleeping. Dr. Lam thought he might be more comfortable somewhere other than the chair beside Jonas' bed that he fell asleep in so she and Teal'c moved him to a room across the hall. Colonel Carter went to sit with him. Colonel Mitchell is in the waiting room keeping me informed with whatever he hears on the situation." Landry reassured his friend.

"Okay. That's the situation. Thanks for briefing me. I'm gonna get down there and be with my team."

Without another word, Jack O'Neill headed out of the office and down to the infirmary to be with his team and friends. As he stepped out of the elevator, he decided that his first stop would be to go to the waiting room and check in with Cameron Mitchell.


End file.
